Prophylactic gastrostomy before chemoradiation in advanced head and neck cancer: a multiprofessional web-based survey to identify current practice and to analyse decision making.

AIMS: Patients with advanced squamous carcinoma of the head and neck who are treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy schedules are often referred for gastrostomy tube (G-tube) insertion. Decision making to select appropriate patients is inconsistent and the factors that lead healthcare workers to make this recommendation are not well understood. Therefore, by means of a web-based questionnaire we sought the views of a variety of healthcare professionals as to their current practice with regard to various issues surrounding the recommendation of G-tube insertion use in these patients and analysed the responses with regard to decision making.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questions were generated after discussion among and agreement from all members of a single National Health Service Trust head and neck multidisciplinary team and were hosted on a website. Appropriate individuals were identified through their governing body organisations and invited by e-mail to complete the questionnaire. The results were pooled and analysed.
RESULTS: Recommendations for gastrostomy were not based on tumour subsite. Four of 14 patient-related factors were significantly associated with the recommendation for gastrostomy. Medical and allied healthcare professionals (including nursing staff) significantly differed in their opinions as to the effect of G-tubes on the resumption of oral intake (P=0.009).
CONCLUSIONS: There is no national consensus on which patients to recommend for gastrostomy and consideration should be given to the development of clinical decision-making models in an attempt to systematise the decision-making process. Copyright 2010 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.